Career Timeline of Jeff Bezos: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Jeff Bezos made an impact.
Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder, executive chairman, and former CEO of Amazon, a global leader in e-commerce and cloud computing. As of May 2025, his estimated net worth is $220.9 billion, ranking him as the third-richest person worldwide, after holding the top position from 2017 to 2021.
1986: Offered Jobs
After graduating from college in 1986, Bezos was offered jobs at Intel, Bell Labs, and Andersen Consulting.
1988: Product Manager at Bankers Trust
In 1988, Jeff Bezos transitioned into the banking industry when he became a product manager at Bankers Trust.
1990: Worked at D. E. Shaw & Co
From 1990 to 1994, Bezos worked at D. E. Shaw & Co, a hedge fund with a focus on mathematical modelling.
July 5, 1994: Founded Amazon
On July 5, 1994, Jeff Bezos and his then-wife, MacKenzie Scott, founded Amazon in a rented garage in Bellevue, Washington, after writing its business plan.
1994: Senior Vice-President
From 1990 to 1994, he worked at D. E. Shaw & Co, a newly created hedge fund with a strong emphasis on mathematical modelling. Bezos became D. E. Shaw's fourth senior vice-president by age 30.
1994: Move to Seattle and Founding of Amazon
In 1994, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Tuttle moved to Seattle, Washington, where Bezos founded Amazon.
1994: Amazon Founded
In mid-1994, Jeff Bezos founded Amazon during a road trip from New York City to Seattle. Initially, it was an online bookstore.
1997: Equity Offering
In 1997, Bezos used the $54 million raised during the company's equity offering to finance acquisitions of smaller competitors.
1997: Became a Millionaire
In 1997, Jeff Bezos first became a millionaire after raising $54 million through Amazon's initial public offering (IPO).
1997: Original Public Offering of Shares
The Motley Fool estimated that if Jeff Bezos had not sold any of his shares from its original public offering in 1997, his net worth would sit at $181 billion in 2018.
1998: Diversified into Music and Video
In 1998, Bezos expanded Amazon into the online sale of music and video, as well as a variety of other consumer goods.
1998: Investment in Google
In 1998, Jeff Bezos invested $250,000 in Google, becoming one of the first shareholders.
1998: Annual Letter for Amazon Shareholders
Since 1998, Jeff Bezos has published an annual letter for Amazon shareholders outlining his business principles.
1999: Acquisition of Pets.com
In 1999, Bezos acquired a majority stake in pets.com.
1999: Included on Forbes World's Billionaires List
In 1999, Jeff Bezos was first included on the Forbes World's Billionaires list with an estimated net worth of $10.1 billion, placing him 19th in the world and 10th in the USA.
September 2000: Bezos founded Blue Origin
In September 2000, Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin, a human spaceflight startup, marking his serious commitment to space exploration.
2000: Blue Origin Founded
In 2000, Bezos founded Blue Origin, an aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company.
2000: Kozmo.com Investment and Borrowing
In 2000, Bezos invested in kozmo.com for $60 million and borrowed $2 billion from banks as Amazon's cash balances decreased.
2002: Launch of Amazon Web Services
In 2002, Bezos led Amazon to launch Amazon Web Services, which compiled data from weather channels and website traffic. Revenue stagnated and the company almost went bankrupt.
2003: Amazon Rebounds
In 2003, Amazon rebounded from financial instability and made a profit of $35 million.
2003: Rob Meyerson led Blue Origin
In 2003, Rob Meyerson became the first president of Blue Origin, leading the company from 2003 to 2017.
2005: Increase in net worth
From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.
2006: Blue Origin Purchases Land in West Texas
In 2006, Blue Origin purchased a large tract of land in West Texas to construct a launch and test facility.
November 2007: Amazon Kindle Launch
In November 2007, Bezos launched the Amazon Kindle.
2007: Quadrupled net worth
From 2005 to 2007, Jeff Bezos quadrupled his net worth to $8.7 billion.
2008: Net worth decrease
After the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, Jeff Bezos's net worth decreased to $6.8 billion—a 17.7% drop.
2009: Bezos Donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Jeff Bezos donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center several times between 2009 and 2017.
2010: Donation Against Washington State Income Tax
In 2010, Jeff Bezos donated $100,000 towards a movement against a Washington state income tax for "top earners".
2010: Wealth increase
In 2010, Jeff Bezos's wealth rose by 85.2%, leaving him with $12.6 billion.
2011: Initial Discussion of Alexa
In 2011, Jeff Bezos told his technical advisor Greg Hart that the goal of the project which became Alexa was to create "the Star Trek computer."
2012: Support for Same-Sex Marriage Legalization
In 2012, Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos contributed $2.5 million to Washington United for Marriage, supporting a yes vote on Washington Referendum 74, which affirmed a same-sex marriage law in the state.
May 2013: Meeting with Richard Branson
In May 2013, Jeff Bezos met with Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic to discuss commercial spaceflight opportunities and strategies.
August 5, 2013: Purchase of The Washington Post Announced
On August 5, 2013, Jeff Bezos announced his purchase of The Washington Post for $250 million in cash.
October 1, 2013: The Washington Post Sale Closed
On October 1, 2013, the sale of The Washington Post closed, and Nash Holdings, Bezos's holding company, took control.
2013: Recovery of Apollo 11 Engines
In 2013, Bezos Expeditions funded the recovery of two Saturn V first-stage Rocketdyne F-1 engines from the Apollo 11 mission's S-1C stage in July 1969 from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
2013: Purchase of The Washington Post
In 2013, Bezos purchased The Washington Post for $250 million.
2013: Contract with the CIA
In 2013, Bezos secured a $600 million contract with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on behalf of Amazon Web Services.
2013: Bezos Pledged to Worldreader
In 2013, Jeff Bezos pledged $500,000 to Worldreader, a non-profit organization founded by a former Amazon employee.
March 2014: Online Paywall Lifted for Some Subscribers
In March 2014, Jeff Bezos made his first significant change at The Washington Post by lifting the online paywall for subscribers of several U.S. local newspapers.
2014: Amazon Wins CIA Cloud Computing Contract
In 2014, Amazon won a bid for a cloud computing contract with the CIA valued at $600 million.
2014: Net worth rose
In 2014, after a rumor broke out that Amazon was developing a smartphone, Jeff Bezos's net worth rose to $30.5 billion.
2015: Announcement of New Orbital Launch Vehicle
In 2015, Jeff Bezos announced the development of a new orbital launch vehicle with the first flight planned for the late 2010s. Also in November 2015, Blue Origin's New Shepard successfully reached space.
January 2016: Reinventing The Washington Post
In January 2016, Jeff Bezos set out to reinvent The Washington Post as a media and technology company.
March 2016: Net worth recorded
By the time the Forbes list was calculated in March 2016, Jeff Bezos's net worth was registered at $45.2 billion.
May 2016: Sold Shares of Amazon
In May 2016, Bezos sold slightly more than one million shares of his holdings in Amazon for $671 million.
August 4, 2016: Another Million Shares Sold
On August 4, 2016, Bezos sold another million of his shares for $756.7 million.
October 2016: Wealth increased
In October 2016, Jeff Bezos's wealth increased by $16.2 billion to $66.5 billion.
2016: Wealth Growth
From 2016 to 2017, Jeff Bezos' wealth experienced rapid growth, sparking discussions about his earnings on a reduced time scale.
2016: Journalists Visit Blue Origin Facility
In 2016, Jeff Bezos allowed select journalists to tour and photograph his Blue Origin facility. He also called for increased inter-space energy and industrial manufacturing to reduce pollution.
2016: Colonizing the solar system
Since 2016, Jeff Bezos has spoken more freely about his hopes to colonize the solar system, and has been selling $1 billion in Amazon stock each year to capitalize Blue Origin in an effort to support this endeavor.
January 2017: $33.6 Billion Increase in Net Worth
From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, outstripping the economic development of more than 96 countries.
May 2017: Bezos Donated to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
In May 2017, Jeff Bezos gave $1 million to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
June 15, 2017: Bezos Seeks Philanthropy Ideas on Twitter
On June 15, 2017, Jeff Bezos posted a message on Twitter asking for ideas for philanthropy focused on long-term impact.
July 2017: Briefly unseated Bill Gates
In July 2017, Jeff Bezos briefly unseated Bill Gates as the wealthiest person in the world.
October 10, 2017: Estimated $6.24 Billion Earned in 5 Minutes
On October 10, 2017, Jeff Bezos earned an estimated $6.24 billion in 5 minutes, which was slightly less than the then annual gross domestic product of Kyrgyzstan.
October 2017: Sporadically Surpassing Bill Gates
Throughout October 2017, Jeff Bezos sporadically surpassed Bill Gates as the wealthiest person as Amazon's share price fluctuated.
December 2017: New Shepard Flies and Lands Dummy Passengers
In December 2017, Blue Origin's New Shepard successfully flew and landed dummy passengers, pushing the anticipated start date for human space travel to late 2018.
2017: Google stock value
In 2017, Jeff Bezos's $250,000 investment in Google resulted in 3.3 million shares of Google stock, worth about $3.1 billion.
2017: Rob Meyerson left Blue Origin
In 2017, Rob Meyerson ended his tenure as president of Blue Origin, having led the company since 2003.
2017: Bezos Donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Jeff Bezos donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center several times between 2009 and 2017.
January 2018: $33.6 Billion Increase in Net Worth
From January 2017 to January 2018, Jeff Bezos's net worth increased by $33.6 billion, outstripping the economic development of more than 96 countries.
January 2018: Bezos Donates to TheDream.US
In January 2018, Jeff Bezos made a $33 million donation to TheDream.US, a college scholarship fund for undocumented immigrants.
January 2018: Announcement of New Healthcare Company
In January 2018, it was announced that Jeff Bezos would be involved in a new, unnamed healthcare company, later named Haven, in partnership with Amazon, JPMorgan, and Berkshire Hathaway.
January 19, 2018: Amazon Stock Holdings Appreciated
By January 19, 2018, Bezos's Amazon stock holdings had appreciated to slightly over $109 billion; he began to sell stock to raise cash for other enterprises, in particular, Blue Origin.
February 1, 2018: Amazon's Highest Profit
On February 1, 2018, Amazon reported its highest ever profit with quarterly earnings of $2 billion.
March 2018: Bezos Meets with Mohammad bin Salman
In March 2018, Jeff Bezos met with Mohammad bin Salman in Seattle to discuss investment opportunities for Saudi Vision 2030.
May 2018: Primary Goal of Blue Origin
In May 2018, Jeff Bezos stated that the primary goal of Blue Origin is to preserve Earth's natural resources by making humans multi-planetary, and he announced that New Shepard would begin transporting humans into sub-orbital space by November 2018.
June 2018: Bezos Donates to Breakthrough Energy Ventures
In June 2018, Jeff Bezos donated to Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a philanthropic fund aimed at promoting emissions-free energy.
July 2018: Commercial Spaceflight Ticket Prices Announced
In July 2018, it was announced that Jeff Bezos had priced commercial spaceflight tickets from $200,000 to $300,000 per person.
July 17, 2018: Designated "Wealthiest Person in Modern History"
On July 17, 2018, Jeff Bezos was designated the "wealthiest person in modern history" by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Fortune, MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes.
September 2018: Bezos Announces Fund to Combat Homelessness and Support Preschools
In September 2018, Jeff Bezos announced he would commit approximately $2 billion to a fund to deal with American homelessness and establish a network of non-profit preschools for low income communities, including the Day 1 Families Fund and the Day 1 Academies Fund.
September 2018: Bezos Donates to With Honor
In September 2018, Jeff Bezos donated $10 million to With Honor, an organization that works to increase the number of veterans in political office.
September 2018: Reports on Bezos's Philanthropy and Day 1 Fund
In September 2018, it was reported that Jeff Bezos was the only one of the top five billionaires who had not signed the Giving Pledge, and questions were raised about his new Day 1 Fund's structure and funding.
October 2, 2018: Wage Increase Announcement
On October 2, 2018, Bezos announced a company-wide wage increase to $15 per hour for American workers being paid the minimum wage.
November 2018: New Shepard to begin transporting humans
Jeff Bezos announced that New Shepard would begin transporting humans into sub-orbital space by November 2018.
2018: Controversy Over JEDI Contract
In 2018, a $10 billion contract with the Pentagon known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) project was allegedly written up in a way that favors Amazon, raising controversy.
2018: Reduced Meetings with Amazon Investors
In 2018, it was reported that Jeff Bezos met with Amazon investors for just six hours a year.
November 2019: Amazon Files Lawsuit Over JEDI Contract Award
In November 2019, after the JEDI contract was awarded to Microsoft instead of Amazon, Amazon filed a lawsuit with allegations that the bidding process was biased.
February 2020: Bezos Pledges to Combat Climate Change
In February 2020, Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion to combat climate change through the Bezos Earth Fund.
April 2020: Bezos Donates to Food Banks
In April 2020, Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to food banks through Feeding America in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 2, 2021: Email to Amazon Employees
On February 2, 2021, Bezos sent an email to all Amazon employees, stating the transition would allow him to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and other passions.
February 2021: Announcement to Step Down
In February 2021, Bezos announced that in the third quarter of 2021 he would step down from his role as CEO of Amazon to become the Executive Chairman of the Amazon Board.
July 5, 2021: Steps Down as CEO of Amazon
On July 5, 2021, Bezos stepped down as the CEO and president of Amazon and took on the role of executive chairman. Andy Jassy succeeded Bezos as the CEO and president of Amazon.
July 6, 2021: Pentagon Cancels JEDI Contract with Microsoft
On July 6, 2021, the Pentagon cancelled the JEDI contract with Microsoft, citing that "due to evolving requirements, increased cloud conversancy, and industry advances, the JEDI Cloud contract no longer meets its needs."
July 2021: Bezos Announces Courage and Civility Award
In July 2021, Jeff Bezos announced the Courage and Civility Award and donated $100 million each to lawyer Van Jones and chef José Andrés.
July 20, 2021: Bezos Launched on NS-16 Mission
On July 20, 2021, Jeff Bezos launched on the NS-16 mission with his half-brother Mark Bezos, Wally Funk, and Oliver Daemen, nine days after Richard Branson's flight. The suborbital flight lasted over 10 minutes.
September 2021: Co-founded Altos Labs
In September 2021, Bezos co-founded Altos Labs with Mail.ru founder Yuri Milner.
November 2021: Bezos Pledges to Donate for Food and Nature Conservation
In November 2021, at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Jeff Bezos pledged to donate $2 billion towards restructuring food systems and nature conservation.
November 22, 2021: $100 Million Donation to Obama Foundation
On November 22, 2021, Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to the Obama Foundation to "help expand the scope of programming that reaches emerging leaders", and requested the Obama Presidential Center's plaza to be named after John Lewis.
2021: Bezos Steps Down as CEO of Amazon
In 2021, Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon and focused on Blue Origin and his engagement to Lauren Sánchez, which may have influenced his political views.
January 19, 2022: Altos Labs Launched
On January 19, 2022, Altos Labs, co-founded by Jeff Bezos, launched with $3 billion in capital and Hal Barron as its executive team leader, aiming to develop longevity therapeutics.
November 22, 2022: Bezos Awards Funds for Homeless Relocation
On November 22, 2022, Jeff Bezos awarded $123 million to organizations engaged in relocating homeless families to permanent housing through Day 1 Families Fund grants.
December 2023: Washington Post Employees' Strike
Around 750 employees at The Washington Post went on a brief strike in December 2023 in response to Jeff Bezos' plans to lay off staff.
2023: Wealth Ranking in America and the World
According to Forbes, in 2023 Jeff Bezos was the second-wealthiest person in America and the third-wealthiest person in the world.
February 2024: Net Worth Update
As of February 2024, Jeff Bezos's net worth is about $197 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the second-wealthiest person in the world.
February 2024: Sold Amazon Shares
In February 2024, Bezos sold 24 million shares in Amazon at a total value of $4 billion and announced plans to sell 50 million shares over the next year.
March 2024: Bezos Donated to Eva Longoria and Bill McRaven
In March 2024, Jeff Bezos donated $50 million each to actress Eva Longoria and retired admiral Bill McRaven.
July 2024: Bezos-Trump Alliance
In July 2024, Jeff Bezos held a private phone conversation with then-candidate Donald Trump, potentially setting the stage for a "Bezos-Trump alliance" before the election.
December 2024: Dedication to AI Initiatives
During an interview at the DealBook Summit in December 2024, Bezos said that he was dedicating 95% of his time to artificial intelligence initiatives at Amazon.
2024: Bezos Works to Improve Relationship with Trump
In 2024, Jeff Bezos worked to foster a positive relationship with Donald Trump to further his business interests, supporting many of Trump's policies.
January 2025: Cartoonist Resignation from The Washington Post
In January 2025, editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from the Post after it refused to run a satirical cartoon critical of the relationship between American billionaires and President Donald Trump, sparking conversations about the paper's ownership under Bezos.
February 2025: New Opinion Section Direction and Editor's Resignation
In February 2025, Jeff Bezos announced that the opinion section of the Post will only publish opinions supporting "personal liberties" and "free markets", leading to the resignation of opinion editor David Shipley and a significant loss of digital subscribers.
February 2025: Reports of Bezos-Trump Dinner and Policy Changes at the Washington Post
In February 2025, it was reported that Jeff Bezos had dinner with Donald Trump and announced changes to the Washington Post's opinion policies to promote "free markets and personal liberties," which was seen as a sign of his growing closeness with Trump.
2030: Saudi Vision 2030
In March 2018, Bezos and Mohammad bin Salman discussed investment opportunities for Saudi Vision 2030.
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